Psychiatric News (3/8) says, “Young people who began treatment within 14 days of being diagnosed with first-episode psychosis (FEP) were less likely to deliberately harm themselves than those who did not initiate treatment, according to a report” that was “based on data collected from Ohio Medicaid claims for more than 6,300 youth with FEP.” According to the results, “of the 4,419 youth who initiated treatment, 134 (3.0%) deliberately harmed themselves at least once; among the 1,930 youth who did not initiate treatment, 95 (4.9%) deliberately harmed themselves.” These results were published online Feb. 28 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association.

Related Links:

— “Entering Treatment After First Episode of Psychosis May Reduce Risk of Self-Harm, Psychiatric News, March 8, 2023

Medscape (3/7, Lehmann, Subscription Publication) reports “a physician’s specialty can make a difference when it comes to having suicidal thoughts.” Physicians “who specialize in family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, and psychiatry reported double the rates of suicidal thoughts than” physicians “in oncology, rheumatology, and pulmonary medicine, according to Doctors’ Burden: Medscape Physician Suicide Report2023.” There is “also a generational divide among physicians who reported suicidal thoughts.” Gen-X physicians (age 42-56) and millennials (age 27-41) “were more likely to report these thoughts than were baby boomers (age 57-75) and the Silent Generation (age 76-95).”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

The Los Angeles Times (3/7, Brumer) reports, “The pandemic has exacerbated the stress of college applications because distance learning-induced isolation – as well as concerns over fitting back in at school or bringing home COVID-19 – have taken a toll on teen mental health.” High school seniors “say the college application process harms their mental health in multiple ways,” including academics. Furthermore, in a “survey by the California Assn. of School Counselors, more than 35% of students…said their schools should provide more support through individual academic advising.”

Related Links:

— “Amid youth mental health crisis, teens ask for a kinder college admissions process “Delilah Brumer, Los Angeles Times, March 7, 2023

CNN (3/7, McPhillips) reports that “people with elevated stress levels are more likely to experience a decline in cognitive function, a…study found.” The study “did find that participants with elevated stress levels were more likely to have uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors and poor lifestyle factors.” These findings were published online March 7 in JAMA Network Open.

MedPage Today (3/7, George) reports “perceived stress was linked with both prevalent and incident cognitive impairment in older adults,” according to “data from a national longitudinal cohort study” that included 24,448 people.

Related Links:

— “Stress may lead to lower cognitive function, study finds “Deidre McPhillips, CNN, March 7, 2023

Bloomberg Law (3/6, Lopez, Subscription Publication) reports, “The 988 suicide prevention services hotline is rolling out 24/7text message and chat services for LGBTQI+ youth, building on a pilot program launched amid a mental health crisis.” As of Monday, these “text and chat services will be available around the clock, according to a spokesperson for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, which oversees 988.”

Related Links:

— “988 Suicide Prevention Line Ramps Up LGBTQI+ Chat, Text Services “Ian Lopez, Bloomberg Law, March 6, 2023

Medscape (3/6, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports, “Vitamin D supplementation has the potential to be a viable dementia prevention strategy, especially when initiated early…research suggests.” In the “large prospective cohort study, people who took vitamin D were 40% less likely to develop dementia than peers who did not take vitamin D.” According to the findings published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease Monitoring, “the effects of vitamin D were most pronounced in women, those with normal cognitive function, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 noncarriers.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

ABC News (3/6, Westman) reports, “The popularity around weight loss drugs…is worrying eating disorder experts, who say the conversation risks making recovery harder and could put others at risk of developing disorders.” Medications including semaglutide injection 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) “were originally developed and FDA approved to treat people with Type 2 diabetes” but they can “also lead to weight loss, and many doctors also prescribe them off-label to patients with obesity.” But now, “celebrities and public figures are either taking or are rumored to take these drugs, as are others who” do not have overweight “but who have the means to pay for a prescription out of pocket.”

Related Links:

— “Eating disorder experts are worried about diabetes drugs like Ozempic being used for weight loss “Nicole Wetsman, ABC News, March 6, 2023

HealthDay (3/3, Mozes) reported, “Alarmed by the increasing spread of medical misinformation, 50 U.S. medical and science organizations have announced the formation of a new group that aims to debunk fake health news.” The new group, called the Coalition for Trust in Health & Science, “brings together reputable associations representing American academics, researchers, scientists,” physicians, “nurses, pharmacists, drug and insurance companies, consumer advocates, public health professionals and even medical ethicists.” The American Medical Association is among the “groups that have currently signed on.”

Related Links:

— “Dozens of Medical Groups Launch Effort to Battle Health Misinformation “Alan Mozes, HealthDay, March 3, 2023

USA Today (3/5, Collins) reports that as the Russia-Ukraine war “enters its second year,” a five-month-old, “first-of-its-kind mental health center in” the city Lviv “shows how Ukraine is making mental health a big-picture priority in the midst of” the conflict. The article adds, “Officially known as the Lviv Mental Health Center, the 5,000-square-foot renovated space offers free and low-cost services from about a dozen professional psychotherapists and psychiatrists,” and its “goal is to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers and locals suffering from PTSD and other stress-related conditions brought on by the war.”

Related Links:

— “In war-torn Ukraine, a first-of-its-kind mental health center aims to heal as ‘part of our survival’ “Terry Collins, USA TODAY, March 5, 2023

Healio (3/3, VanDewater) reported, “Distress levels among veterans were greater at 1 year into the COVID-19 pandemic, but decreased at 2 years to pre-pandemic levels, according to data” from a “longitudinal study among 2,289 veterans as part of the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study from fall 2019 to summer 2022.” The findings, published online Feb. 23 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open, showed that specifically, veterans “aged 18 to 44 years…and women…had the greatest increase in distress from fall 2019 to fall/winter of 2020.”

Related Links:

— “Distress among veterans peaked 1 year into COVID-19 pandemic “Kalie VanDewater, Healio, March 3, 2023